My second school was Amrita Sanskrit H.S. School-one of the chain of Amrita Vidyalaya’s by Mata Amritanandamayi Amma’s Trust. My first impression-Yuck! Firstly the idea of coming to kerala leaving my school, friends and my Bhopal was too painful and unargeeable for me. I was in kerala only because I had no other way. And studying in a Demigod’s school….I had my doubts. Sanskrit school???Please, I‘d prefer to study in an English medium school. Yes I agree I did study Sanskrit too in my earlier school and Sheelpandya madam did a good job of teaching it, but please give me a language I am comfortable in-English, Hindi…
However since that was the closest school (in comparison to other reputed schools) and I could study from home and had no need to live in boarding and it was an english medium school(despite the name); I ended up in that school...
My first day in school is still afresh in my mind. The uniform was salwar kameez (my uniform in St. Theresa’s was a knee length tunic).the hair need not be tied in two, no compulsion on braiding the long hair, no compulsion on ribbons. One could wear heavy gold ornaments too (everyone did).no shoes and socks-one could wear their fanciest sandals to school. No tie and no belt. I had trouble myself getting accustomed to the uniform…I was used only to a small stud of gold earring and by habit, I hated wearing gold chains and earrings and bangles and rings…I remember my aunt coaxing me to wear at least one gold chain and two bangles to school…in school, I didn’t feel like I was in school at all…girls with long hair, let their hair loose and came to school wearing jasmine garlands in the hair. Wednesdays and Saturdays we could come to school in color dress…in my earlier school we could come to school in color dress on two occasions-one’s birthday and on children’s day.
I felt extremely out of place in the classroom…I sat in the last bench. I didn’t speak to anyone in class…the mode of explanation I found was Malayalam…though the syllabus was English medium and the ‘Sanskrit’ in the schools name was meant to let the public know that the school offers Sanskrit as a second language (not very common in kerala).i didn’t care for anyone in class…I was happy by myself .I used to speak quite audibly and mostly in English, which my classmates found to be strange (specially for a gal-Strange kerala) Who cared???Not me anyway. This lack of friends and the frustration I felt led me closer to studies- I was never a nerd, but I became one.
All this made me quite a disliked person in school. till date I don’t know how I got over it and how I became friends with not only my classmates, but my seniors,juniors,everyone.life became colorful once again…this school gave me the stage to perform in district and state level competitions and win. one remarkable thing this school managed to make me do was make me dance solo “nadodi nritham”-self learned; not only in school level competitions(in which I came first) but also in the district level(where I managed an A grade).I became the” Kala Thilakom” of the school…never before and never after did I dance solo. Happy I did when I did.
The school, teachers, my friends, my experiences have all added color to my life and am happy I joined it and nowhere else. Even today after 3 years of leaving the school; I freely enter the school staffroom and bask in the love my teachers shower, proudly and happily find juniors and seniors and classmates recognizing and remembering me, to be identified by teachers of schools I have never been to… And being a Demigod’s school-the school never did any activity I could accuse as uncivil. About the school rules (dress code, etc.)I now understand that’s the only way an Aided (by Govt.) school can be…I am happy and proud that I studied in the two best schools I could have ever come across-the schools have a major role in what I am today, how I am today, who I am today and whatever ill be in future…Hats off to my schools!!!
